Dec 1972 – Apollo 17 lands the last humans on the Moon, marking the end of the Apollo era and setting a half‑century gap that Artemis II now seeks to close [2].

2022 – NASA launches the uncrewed Artemis I mission, demonstrating the Space Launch System and Orion but later revealing heat‑shield wear that drives a year‑long redesign effort [5].

Sep 2025 – NASA announces that Artemis II could launch as early as Feb 5, 2026, with a crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, and outlines a proximity‑operations docking rehearsal for future lunar landings [3].

Dec 31 2025 – Artemis II remains on track for a February 6 launch; NASA confirms the heat‑shield issue from Artemis I has been fixed, and highlights the mission’s role as a pathfinder amid geopolitical competition with China [7].

Jan 17 2026 – The 322‑foot Space Launch System and Orion capsule begin a 4‑mile, 12‑hour rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B, watched by the crew and a cheering crowd led by Administrator Jared Isaacman [8].

Jan 18 2026 – The SLS arrives at Pad 39B; NASA opens launch windows from early February onward, cites the European Service Module as essential (“we basically can’t get to the Moon without it”) and stresses safety as the top priority [1].

Jan 18 2026 – NASA opens virtual boarding‑pass sign‑ups, adding more than 1.5 million public names to an SD card aboard Artemis II; Acting Associate Administrator Lori Glaze calls the flight “a key test flight for returning humans to the Moon” [10][13].

Jan 30 2026 – NASA sets the first launch window to begin on Feb 8, 2026, confirming the four‑person crew and describing the 10‑day lunar flyby that will test Orion’s life‑support, navigation and targeting systems; Glaze reiterates the mission’s importance for Moon and Mars exploration [9][12].

Feb 3 2026 – CNN’s “Countdown” newsletter announces that Artemis II could lift off as early as Mar 6, 2026, and promises on‑site coverage from Kennedy Space Center [5].

Feb 3 2026 – NASA’s planetary‑parade brief notes a Feb 17 Venus‑Jupiter‑Saturn alignment and warns that an unusually cold polar vortex could delay the Feb 8 launch, stressing the need to complete a “tanking day” and simulated countdown [11].

Feb 3 2026 – After a wet‑dress rehearsal reveals hydrogen‑leak problems and a five‑minute countdown abort, NASA pushes the earliest launch to March, plans a second rehearsal, and evaluates whether to roll the SLS back to the VAB for battery replacement; crew quarantine is reset for a mid‑March launch window (Mar 6, 7, 8, 9, 11) [4].

Early Feb 2026 (planned) – NASA schedules a fueling test of the SLS on Pad 39B to verify cryogenic propellant loading before confirming a final launch date, with the test serving as the final “go/no‑go” checkpoint [10][13].

2027 – 2028 (planned) – Artemis III aims for the first crewed lunar landing at the Moon’s south pole, with launch no earlier than 2027; NASA is weighing SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s lander, while SpaceX’s Starship HLS is slated to land on the Moon in 2028 [2][6].

2025 – 2026 (ongoing) – NASA’s newest astronaut class, selected in 2025 and the first to be majority‑female, begins a two‑year training pipeline that includes ISS robotics and prepares candidates for future Artemis missions [11].